“The more we see Black people living—loving and doing and being and feeling… solving mysteries and being the heroes—the more we recognize our shared humanity.”

–Nic Stone

Nic Stone is a bestselling author and an outspoken racial and social justice advocate. Stone burst onto the scene with her #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel, Dear Martin, which chronicles the story of a seventeen-year-old Black high school senior, Justyce McAllister, after a bloody run-in with the police places him squarely in the crosshairs of media fallout. Seeking meaning in the events that follow and grappling with racism—and what it means for his future—Justyce writes a series of letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Of this fictional narrative inspired by everyday encounters for young Black Americans, author Jason Reynolds certifies Dear Martin is “raw and gripping.” 

“A powerful, wrenching, and compulsively readable story that lays bare the history, and the present, of racism in America.”

–John Green, bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down

In Dear Justyce, the companion to Dear Martin, Stone introduces readers to incarcerated sixteen-year-old Quan, who writes letters to Justyce about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system. Drawing once again on conversations about systemic racism, this powerful sequel explores how marginalization is rooted in the subconscious dehumanizing of other people. 

In her continual pursuit to tackle the US’s troubled history with race relations, Stone turned to author and fellow antiracist activist Ibram X. Kendi with the idea to adapt his book—How to Be an Antiracist—for teens. In How to Be a (Young) Antiracist, Kendi and Stone present a guide for teens seeking a way forward in acknowledging, identifying, and dismantling racism and injustice. Shaping how a younger generation thinks about race and racism, the text empowers teen to help create a more just society. Kendi and Stone have revised this literature to provide anecdotes and data that speak directly to the experiences and concerns of younger readers, encouraging them to think critically and build a more equitable world.

“Attention to gender, sexuality, class, and honest self-critique makes for an ambitiously inclusive addition to a growing booklist of youth-oriented racial equity work, but the concluding four c’s of changemaking—cogency, compassion, creativity, collaboration—are on full display here in a standout text.”

—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Stone’s most recent novel, Chaos Theory, follows teens Andy and Shelbi, who find love while navigating mental health challenges in suburban Georgia. Shelbi is a certified genius living with a diagnosed mental disorder, and Andy is a politician’s son who is running from his addiction and grief. A novel about mental health, loss, and discovering love, Stone seeks to destigmatizing neurodivergent stories. 

In her lectures across the country, Stone draws from the themes in her books while stressing the need for equity, accountability, and empowerment in reshaping our society. She urges that “we must deconstruct the world as it is if we are to build a better one.” Her presentations speak to the relationship between the importance of human connection through a lens of storytelling and the necessary work of racial and social justice.

A fierce advocate for reading freedoms in public education, Stone has had her books banned in various parts of the country. Nevertheless, she champions the rights of readers to pick up any book they choose and for authors to tell their authentic stories without fear of censorship. She is also the author of other blockbusters Fast Pitch, Odd One Out, Jackpot, and Clean Getaway. Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and is a graduate of Spelman College.

For more information on Nic Stone, please visit her on Instagram and nicstone.info.